This invention relates to a connector for a printed circuit board, and particularly to such a connector for a board which is wave soldered. In one method of manufacturing a circuit board, the insulating board with a printed circuit on one side has discrete circuit elements mounted on the opposite side with leads projecting through holes in the board to the printed circuit side. The board is then dipped in a pool of molten solder in a wave soldering process. In this process, the molten solder forms fillets around the ends of the leads projecting through the board to form connections between the leads of the discrete circuit elements and the printed circuit and also permanently retain the discrete elements in position on the board. The areas of the circuit board not meant for solder connection which might otherwise be coated thereby are protected by a coating which prevents the solder from adhering thereto.
It is often desirable to have connectors mounted on the same side of the circuit board as the other discrete circuit elements and connected into the printed circuit in the same wave soldering process. Such connectors are required in many cases to have openings adapted to receive a shaft member of the mating connector member; and such openings are necessarily narrow so that a tight fit is obtained for physical retention and good electrical conductivity. However, such narrow openings of conventional connector design usually encourage the wicking of molten solder by capillary action into the opening during the wave soldering process. When the solder hardens, the connector may be blocked with solder. This causes the need for protective procedures which add to the cost of the finished circuit board.
In addition, it is desirable for a connector for use on a circuit board to be simple in form, inexpensive to make and easy to assemble on the board, ideally being designed in such a way as to be easily placed on the board in assembly and to positively hold itself in correct position until the soldering process is complete. Tolerances should be non-critical for as many dimensions as possible. The part should be universally applicable to all sizes of board and connector and adapted to operate correctly as a connector after assembly in a failure-proof manner.